In recognition of National Memory Screening Day, St. John’s Institute for Cognitive Health and St. John’s 4 Peaks Clinic will offer free memory screenings on Tuesday, November 13. Each screening is confidential and requires just 15 minutes.

For Jackson, Wyoming area residents, free memory screenings are available at St. John’s Institute for Cognitive Health, located at St. John’s Family Health and Urgent Care in Smith’s Plaza, from 9am to 5pm on November 13. Please call 307 739 7434 by Friday, November 9 for more information and to schedule your appointment.

For Teton Valley, Idaho area residents, free memory screenings are provided by the staff of St. John’s Institute for Cognitive Health and St. John’s 4 Peaks Clinic and offered at Seniors West of the Tetons in Driggs from 9am to noon on November 13. Please call St. John’s 4 Peaks Clinic at 208 354 4757 by Friday, November 9 for more information and to schedule your appointment. The senior center is located in the Driggs City Center Building at 60 South Main Street, Suite 200. Note: appointments cannot be scheduled through Seniors West of the Tetons.

Over five million Americans currently have Alzheimer’s, and it is estimated that by 2050, 10 million baby boomers will be affected by the disease. Advanced age is the greatest risk factor, with the incidence of Alzheimer’s doubling every five years between age 65 and 95.

National Memory Screening Day was introduced in 2003 by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) and is held annually in November. It is one of AFA’s ongoing efforts to promote early detection of memory problems, including Alzheimer's disease, as well as to encourage appropriate medical treatment, education and social services. The two organizations believe that memory screenings are a critical step toward early diagnosis, which leads to timely treatment and support for patients and their families.

“Memory screening helps us recognize treatable memory loss and other cognitive problems,” says Martha Stearn, MD, director of the St. John’s Institute for Cognitive Health. “We can then determine whether further memory assessment is indicated. I recommend that anyone concerned about his or her memory, or who simply would like to establish a baseline for future comparison, schedule a free memory screening. This opportunity only comes around once a year.”

Follow-up resources and educational materials will be available at the screenings or on-line at cognitive.tetonhospital.org.